The present invention relates to implantable medical devices, and in particular, to a subcutaneous device.
Implantable medical devices include medical devices that are implanted in the body. Examples of implantable medical devices can include cardiac monitors, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, amongst many others. These implantable medical devices can receive signals from the body and use those signals for diagnostic purposes. These implantable medical devices can also transmit electrical stimulation or deliver drugs to the body for therapeutic purposes. For instance, a pacemaker can sense a heart rate of a patient, determine whether the heart is beating too fast or too slow, and transmit electrical stimulation to the heart to speed up or slow down different chambers of the heart. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator can sense a heart rate of a patient, detect a dysrhythmia, and transmit an electrical shock to the patient.
Traditionally, cardiac monitors, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators include a housing containing electrical circuitry. A proximal end of a lead is connected to the housing and a distal end of the lead is positioned in or on the heart. The distal end of the lead contains electrodes that can receive and transmit signals. Implantable medical devices such as cardiac monitors, pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators typically require invasive surgeries to implant the medical device in the body.